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‘Chito’ suggested he hadn’t given his body enough time to recover after a tough loss to Sean O’Malley earlier this year.

Did Marlon Vera return to the octagon a bit too soon after taking a hellacious beating at the hands of Sean O’Malley back in March?

That’s a question “Chito” is asking himself after losing to Deiveson Figueiredo via decision on the undercard of UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov. Figueiredo became the first fighter to ever knock Vera down in the UFC (watch the highlights where), which could just be a testament to the former flyweight champion’s power at bantamweight. But in a statement posted on social media after the event, Vera suggested the damage he took five months earlier played a part.

“I fail at myself last night,” Vera wrote on Instagram. “I thought I was ready, I felt good in the gym, but at the end maybe I come back too quick after a hard title fight.”

O’Malley outstruck Vera 232 to 89 in their five round title fight at UFC 299, earning 50-45, 50-45, 50-44 scores from the judges. Vera’s durability carried him to the final bell, but at what cost? The O’Malley fight clearly took a toll on “Chito,” one that he hopes will wear off with more time.

“Life doesn’t end here,” he continued. “I still dream about big things, I just need time to let go and reset. Thank you Abu Dhabi for your love to my family for always being by my side, and Ecuador, thank you for always lifting me up like you did in the past. Shukrahn Abu Dhabi! I’ll be back re-born.”

Vera is just 31 years old, so hopefully an extended break is all that’s needed for him to reset and re-establish himself at the top of the bantamweight division. But it’s an important reminder that fighters can only take so much damage before their body starts to betray them.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

A Muay Thai fighter in Japan gets bonus points for creativity after unleashing a rare rolling thunder kick to earn a knockout this past weekend.

Taimu Hisai delivered the spectacular finish in his fight against Chuut Seryvanthong, which capped off the Knock Out 2024 Vol. 3 card.

The finish came during a first-round exchange where Seryvanthong pressed forward, looking to close the distance, and Hisai reacted with the rolling thunder kick, which landed flush and sent his opponent crashing to the canvas in a heap.

The unbelievable kick flattened Seryvanthong and immediately ended the fight, prompting Hisai to jump onto the ropes and celebrate his handiwork.

The rolling thunder kick pops up rarely in fights, such as when Justin Gaethje threw the maneuver against Dustin Poirier in the UFC, but that didn’t end in a knockout.

This time around, Hisai likely capped off whatever career highlight reel he’s putting together with the stunning knockout in spectacular fashion.

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Two top MMA analysts aren’t buying what UFC CEO Dana White is selling when it comes to some of his post-fight remarks at UFC 304.

UFC 304 in Manchester last month featured two impressive title wins, capped off by Belal Muhammad’s upset victory over Leon Edwards in the main event. UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall retained his belt with a wild finish to Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event.

While the top of the card delivered plenty of storylines, UFC 304 featured seven consecutive decisions, a streak snapped by Paddy Pimblett’s submission of King Green on the main card. The UFC 304 fights began in the middle of the night in Manchester, leading to some low-output showings in the Octagon.

After UFC 304, White appeared to dismiss that the unideal fight times had an impact on the event quality. This was despite some fight fans in attendance falling asleep at the venue as the matchups played out.

Dana White Questioned For Scathing Post-UFC 304 Comments

During a recent episode of Weighing In, ‘Big’ John McCarthy picked apart White’s disgruntled post-UFC 304 comments.

“When you’re pointing one finger forward, there’s three coming back at you Josh and you got to look at those and you gotta say well, we did put these fighters in a position where they were fighting at 3 o’clock in the morning, 4 o’clock in the morning, 5 o’clock in the morning,” McCarthy said of White. “No one works out at those times, no one fights at those times. It is an unusual situation and even if you try to prepare for it, it’s odd. It’s just an odd time for you, your body doesn’t feel the same, you don’t feel like you’re on top of things.” (h/t MMANews)

McCarthy’s co-host, former UFC standout Josh Thomson, didn’t hold back in his criticism of White’s post-event remarks.

“You kind of offset both parties by doing this,” Thomson said of White. “What happens is when you go to another country and they’re there five days before, some of them get there seven days before, some of the staff, and sometimes that’s not good. But, what I’m saying though is that now you’ve asked them to stay awake during the night so they can be awake during the night…

“So, the ones that come from the states that work for the UFC, their body clock is trying to change to get adjusted to the UK time when in fact they can’t because their show is at 5 in the morning,” Thomson continued on White. “Then, the fighters that are there, they’re getting all screwed up because they’re having to fight when they’re normally sleeping. So you really kind of messed up both sides of this equation. You messed it up for the people that work for the promotion and some of the fighters that came over having to fight.”

White has shown zero intentions of modifying future UK event start times after UFC 304. Aspinall and others pleaded with White and the UFC matchmakers to change the event schedule ahead of UFC 304, to no avail.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Khabib Nurmagomedov had nothing but kind words to share about former rival Tony Ferguson after watching him compete for possibly the final time in the UFC.

At UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Ferguson suffered an eighth straight loss after falling to Michael Chiesa by submission in the first round, almost certainly spelling the end of his run with the promotion. Afterward, Ferguson hinted at retirement, but he ultimately only left one glove in the cage, noting that he’s holding onto the other “just in case.”

If that ends up being Ferguson’s final UFC appearance, Nurmagomedov offered him some encouragement that while fighting may be over, he still has plenty of time left ahead of him to accomplish so much more.

“It’s not a surprise for me because he’s 40 years old,” Nurmagomedov said of Ferguson after his fight. “I just want to wish him all the best. He’s truly one of the best who ever was doing it in the UFC. I just want to wish him all the best.

“His life is just beginning, because he’s just 40 years old and he just finished his MMA career. Now it’s going to be a different life, a much better life.”

Prior to Nurmagomedov’s retirement, many believed that Ferguson could have been the ex-champ’s greatest challenge after they were matched up several times over the years.

Sadly, a multitude of circumstances prevented them from ever actually fighting, and their rivalry likely stands as the greatest ‘what if’ on both men’s résumés.

While it was disappointing that they never fought, Nurmagomedov recognized Ferguson’s talent, but unfortunately that matchup just wasn’t meant to be.

“Of course, in my prime and his prime, it’s supposed to be a very interesting fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “But what can I do? He had a couple of injuries, I had a couple of injuries. It is what it is.

“Sometimes we have plans, but God has his plan and we cannot control this.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

With the 2024 Olympics already under way, wrestling prepares to take center stage beginning on Aug. 5, with the final gold medal matches wrapping up on Aug. 11.

During that six-day span, athletes from freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines compete across 18 divisions for both men and women. There are six total divisions for the men in freestyle wrestling and six divisions in freestyle for women, with the final six divisions coming in men’s Greco-Roman wrestling.

All of the matches are set to stream on Peacock as well as NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app and the NBC Olympics app, with the medal rounds airing on USA Network.

Here are the weight classes for each discipline competing at the 2024 Olympics

Men’s Freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg, 125kg

Women’s Freestyle: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, 76kg

Men’s Greco-Roman: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, 130 kg

The team representing the United States in 2024 may be among the best ever sent to the Olympics. Its hope is to bring home even more medals in 2024 after setting a record with nine total medals at the 2020 Games, which led all nations.

Here’s the full schedule for wrestling at the 2024 Olympics. When streaming the events, Peacock often has the broadcasts listed by Mat A, Mat B, Mat C, etc.

Monday, Aug. 5

9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET: Greco-Roman 60kg qualification round (Mat A)

9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET: Women’s Freestyle 68kg qualification round (Mat B)

9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET: Greco-Roman 130kg qualification round (Mat C)

3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET: Women’s Freestyle 68kgs, Greco Roman 130kgs and 68kgs semifinals

Tuesday, Aug. 6

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Greco-Roman 77kg qualification round (Mat A)

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Women’s Freestyle 50kg qualification round (Mat B)

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Greco-Roman 97kgs qualification round (Mat C)

12:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. ET: Greco-Roman 77kg and 97kg semifinals, Women’s Freestyle 50kg semifinals, followed by Greco-Roman 130 kg and 60kg finals, Women’s Freestyle 68kg finals

Wednesday, Aug. 7

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Greco-Roman 67kg qualification round (Mat A)

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Women’s Freestyle 53kg qualification round (Mat B)

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Greco-Roman 87kg qualification round (Mat C)

12:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. ET: Greco-Roman 67kg and 87kg semifinals, Women’s Freestyle 53kg semifinals, followed by Greco-Roman 77kg and 97kg finals, Women’s Freestyle 50kg finals

Thursday, Aug. 8

5 a.m to 7:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 57kg qualification round (Mat A)

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Women’s Freestyle 57kg qualification round (Mat B)

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 86kgs qualification round (Mat C)

12:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 57kg and 86kg semifinals, Women’s Freestyle 57kg semifinals, followed by Greco-Roman 67kg and 87kg finals, Women’s Freestyle 53kg finals

Friday, Aug. 9

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 74kg qualification round (Mat A)

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Women’s Freestyle 62kg qualification round (Mat B)

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 125kg qualification round (Mat C)

12:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 74kg and 125kg semifinals, Women’s Freestyle 62kg semifinals, followed by Men’s Freestyle 57kg and 86kg finals, Women’s Freestyle 57kg finals

Saturday, Aug 10

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 65kg qualification round

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Women’s Freestyle 76kg qualification round

5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 97kg qualification round

12:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 65kg and 97kg semifinals, Women’s Freestyle 62kg semifinals, followed by Men’s Freestyle 74kg and 125kg finals, Women’s Freestyle 62kg finals

Sunday, Aug. 11

5 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. ET: Men’s Freestyle 65kg and 97kg finals, Women’s Freestyle 76kg finals

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